Bangladesh has sought stronger economic and defence cooperation with the Republic of Korea, including an early conclusion of the Bangladesh-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), increased Korean investment and expanded training opportunities.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made the requests during separate meetings with Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo and Vice Minister of National Defense Lee Doo-hee in Seoul on Saturday, according to a foreign ministry press release.

During his meeting with Park, Kobir handed over an invitation from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.

He said Bangladesh was keen to further strengthen its longstanding relations with South Korea and welcomed progress towards concluding the CEPA, expressing hope that the agreement would be signed at an early date.

Kobir called for increased bilateral trade, greater market access for Bangladeshi products and more Korean investment in sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, shipbuilding, light engineering, high-end readymade garments, ICT and other technology-driven industries.

He also highlighted investment opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, logistics, digital transformation, skills development and services.

The state minister sought Korean support to expand employment opportunities for Bangladeshi skilled and semi-skilled workers under the Employment Permit System.

Appreciating Korea's development partnership with Bangladesh, Kobir called for stronger cooperation in climate resilience, infrastructure, human-resource development, technical and vocational education and digital technology.

He praised South Korea's economic and technological transformation and said its development experience remained an important source of inspiration for Bangladesh.

Kobir also expressed satisfaction with regular Foreign Office Consultations and other high-level exchanges between the two countries. He reaffirmed Bangladesh's support for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

He thanked South Korea for its humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya refugees and sought continued support for their safe, sustainable and dignified repatriation to Myanmar.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues and stressed the importance of continued cooperation in multilateral forums.

During his separate meeting with Lee Doo-hee, Kobir discussed ways to expand bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in training, capacity building, UN peacekeeping and defence industry collaboration.

He appreciated South Korea's support in training members of Bangladesh's armed forces, police and civil defence and sought more opportunities for specialised training.

The state minister also invited South Korean military personnel to participate in specialised courses offered by the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

Kobir informed the Korean side that Bangladesh was working to establish a defence industrial zone and invited Korean companies to explore investment opportunities in the sector.

The Korean side welcomed Bangladesh's interest in expanding defence relations and expressed readiness to explore greater cooperation in mutually agreed areas, including training, capacity building and UN peacekeeping.

Sun News/ rabbi